Less than ten minutes before the recess was over, I decided to intrude upon Jose and Debbie's privacy. I knocked on the door of the waiting room, and after around fifteen seconds, Jose peeked out. Through the gap in the opening, I could see Debbie's bare shoulders as she tried to put on her blouse. "Thank God it is you," he said, relieved. "Anybody with you?"
"Nope."
"Alright, come on in. Whew! For a second there, I thought we were - that it was the cops... What is it, Ray?"
Jose and I were on a first name basis. I grinned at his obvious discomfiture. Debbie was now reasonably decent, but Jose's shirttails were still hanging out of his fly. Doubtless, father and daughter had been making the best use of their privacy. Debbie's lipstick was still smeared around her father's lips, and I was sure those weren't the only things with her lipstick on them. I gestured to the telltale signs of their adventure. "Wipe them off, man, you don't want the jury to think that you were catching a nookie. Look, court is going to reconvene in about ten minutes, so I don't have much time. I will get right to the point - can you deliver the closing arguments? It needn't be much, just a single line or two. I would do it myself, but so far, the jury hasn't heard a damn from you."
Jose looked thoughtfully at his darling daughter. This was a big decision, the last instance for us to convince the jury of their love. It had to be worded right, and it had to be spoken right. Words I could manage, but as far as emotions go, I would just be another lawyer fighting for his client. The jurors would be that objective.
"Like what?"
"Things like you are not sorry, because neither your daughter nor you think what you did was wrong. Express your love for her publicly. Things like that. The important thing is, you should mean them. That's what the jury likes to hear, the human side of the whole affair. Just a single sentence, or two, or three. Not more than three. You decide what you want to say."
For a brief second, Jose hesitated. "Okay," he said determinedly, "I'll do it!"
The court was a couple of minutes late when it opened after recess, but nobody could be bothered with the details. Most of the news networks were being represented and before the night was over, anybody worth over a dollar would know the latest take on incest. What it would be was something nobody had any idea of. Hammonds argued his side of the case, and despite legal ethics, I must say that it was painfully obvious that it was a last-ditch effort, and a half-hearted one at that. After his rather antique arguments of child-abuse and other non-relevants, Hammonds sat down.
I nudged Jose slightly and he nodded back, ever so slightly. "Your Honor," I began, "I would like to let Mr. Jose Patrick make the defendants' closing remarks."
"That's highly irregular, Mr. Wilkins," the judge replied in a stern voice. "In spite of the media interest this case has generated, I trust no one here is as immature as to want to grandstand!"
"Objection, Your Honor," Hammonds interposed. "With counsel present, neither of the defendants should be allowed to close the case. As in the case of Timothy versus ..."
"I am aware of precedents, Mr. Hammonds," the judge said. "Let the records show that the court has sustained the prosecution's objection. I suggest you make the arguments, Mr. Wilkins, if one is forthcoming from your side."
I turned to Jose. "Fire me!" I said, in a voice loud enough to reach the jurors. "Now!" For a moment, Jose was surprised to the point of bewilderment and then he understood my game plan - if the judge wouldn't allow him to speak if I was there, my services would be terminated. Pure and simple. A trick that could see me sent to the Bar. A trick that, thankfully, the judge fell for.
"Now, now, Mr. Wilkins, that was a remark of improper bearing."
"I beg to differ with your Honor, but if my employment is what prevents this man from speaking, I am willing to be fired. I suppose that was my last advice to my clients." Someone near the door sniggered but in that packed courtroom, it was impossible to determine the culprit.
The judge considered my outburst for a full minute. As I remarked in the beginning, this case was a special one, unique in almost every aspect. This was possibly the only reason that accounted for my still being there and not already having been sent to jail on a contempt charge. So far, I had tread every ice line I dared to. And the last one looked pretty thin at that...
"The Court overrules its earlier sustainment," he finally ruled, "The defendants shall be accorded the freedom of saying their piece before the jury. Let it also be understood that the counsel for defense has simultaneously waived his right to rebuttal."
Jose looked at Debbie, and there was no doubt of the love he had for her as he gazed lovingly at her. He held her hands, and after pausing just a second, lifted her hands to his lips for a gentle kiss. Still holding her hands, he turned to the jury. "I love my daughter," he said simply. "She loves me too, and we will always love each other. I only hope that we are never separated... I don't think I will be able to bear being away from her forever."
One of the female jurors raised her hankie to her eyes. For a few seconds, the room was totally silent except for the whirring of the cameras. Hammonds tried to meet the jurors' eyes, but theirs was doggedly and sympathetically fixed on my clients. The Judge cleared his throat.
